Fabric-rubbing machine



Jan. l', 1924 1,479,525 W. H. WHITEHEAD ET AL.

FABRIC RUBBING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l v IMEI en m l .u n- 1. n n ....Fuv... 2..

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rlllilllllilllllllilllTll ||..|||\I||L\ Wl TNESS Jan. 1, 1924 W. H. WHITEHEAD ET AL FABRI C RUBBING MACHINE Filed Feb. l5 1.925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOHS lzo Patented Jan. l 1924.

UNITED 'tras Finca.

WILLIAM H. WHITEHEAD AND THOMAS W. KENYON 0F PATERSO'N, NEW JERSEY.

FABRICvRUBBING MACHINE.

Application led February 15, 1923.y Serial No. 619,285.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. WHITE- HrAD and THOMAS W. KnNYoN, citizens of the United States, residing at Paterson, in the'county of Passaic and State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in vFabric-ltubbing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for treating fabrics-and especially silk and other fine fabrics-after they have been woven so as to dispose or place the threads thereof with a view to remove blemishes resulting from the weaving, such as so-called shiers, which are the` effects of irregular spacing of the weft or lling threads, or barre marks, which are the result of the warp threads being irregularly spaced, as by the dents of the loom reed. This treatment is known as rubbing the fabric and the machine now used for performing it includes a pneumatic or other cushion over which the fabric is advanced while being treated and a rotated series of rubbers each of which consists of a set of blades arranged in rows nearly as long'as the fabric is wide and the several rows radiating from. a common shaft or other axial support which is parallel andextends trans- Y versely of the fabric, the acting edgev of each blade being curved so that in rotating against the fabric edgewise and so impressing the cushion no corners will be presented to mark or streak the fabric. In order that every part of the fabric surface may be rubbed by the convex edges of the blades of this machine each set or series thereof has its blades odset orstaggered with reference to the next set. Due to the ,convex form of the blade edges the rubbing is not uniform, and so the fabric is likely to have a more or less streaky appearance when the treatment is completed. Again, only one face of the fabric is treated at a time. Still again, the attendant has little facility Vto inspect the fabric because it is not positioned favorably to allow the vlight to pass therethrough and thus reveal irregularities.

According to this invention we eliminate the element corresponding to the cushion, which makes it necessary to give convexity to the curvature of the blades and which prevents the attendant from visually determining the progress and results of the work, and at the same time treat both sides of the fabric at once by utilizing a novel form of rubbing device or rubber characterized by rubbing blades which, extending crosswise of the rubbing path, project toward and are arranged on opposite sides of the fabric (which is suitably heldV stretched) with each blade on one side out of registry with each blade on the other side and coacting therewith to maintain a bend in the (stretched) fabric. Inthe preferred form of the invention the rubber is reciprocated and the I fabric also simultaneously advanced; moreover, in the preferred form the rubber is arranged to reciprocatein the up and down direction, involving the stretched part of the fabric being upright, whereby the attendant may have the benefit of light through the' fabric to assist in visually determining the progress and results 'of the work.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of our machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a view on a larger scaleshowing certain of the driving parts in section; and Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the rubber, showing the same in operative rela- Removably arranged inbrackets c projecting from the front of the' frame is a squared shaftd on which may be slipped the beam e on which the fabric to be treated is wound. The fabric, A, extends from the beam c up over a roller f'removably journaled in brackets g projecting from the rear of the. frame, thence downward around a roller h removably arranged in brackets'i also projecting from the rear ofthe frame and thence forward, under and around-an expansion roller j removably journaled in brackets 7c projecting from'the front ofthe frame, and then toa beam Z 'which' is slipped onto a squared shaft m supported as hereinafter stated.' The lexpansion roller is simply present so as to distend the fabric transversely. It forms no part of the present invention. In the present form its peripheral portion is composed of two-part slats y" the members of which may be moved away from each other to distend the fabric and then toward each other in each-rotation of the roller by any suitable meansnot the art.

sockets). On the gudgeon .is fixed a spro cket-wheel t around which and a sprocket wheel u extends a chain fu.

Sprockebwheel u and a pulley to are fixed on 'the ends of a sleeve a which is journaled in a bracket y projecting inwardly from the frame. The belt (not shown) for driving the machine may extend around the pulley fw.

En a pair lof arms e projecting rearwardly from each upright is arranged a vertical guide-rod 2. On these are adapted to reciprocate the side members or slides of the rubber,4 being horizontal bars connecting thev two slides and arranged in two pairs in staggered relation to each other, one pair on the;` rear side and the other on the front side of the t-wo slides. Each bar is grooved longitudinally at the Vinside and receives a metal blade arranged in a horizontal plane. In the presentV case each blade extends nearly the full distance from one slide 3 to the other, so that it is adapted to rub the entire width ofthe fabric. The path of Amovement, ofthe rubber is such that the part of ther fabric which is held more or lless stretched between, the rollers h and f passes between the two pairs of blades 5. The pairs of blades, projecting toward and thus arranged part of the fabric, with each blade on one side out of registry with each blade on the other, coact to maintain bends in said part of the fabric as shown in Fig. 4'.

'Ehe slides ofthe rubber have Ywrist-pins 6Y to which are pivoted the upper ends of Yeccentric straplinks 7, the straps 8 of which ,embracev eccentrics 9- on a horizontal shaft 10 which is revoluble Vin brackets 11 Von the uprightsV a' and penetrates Vthe sleeve Shaft 10 may be coupled with sleeve a, so

, as to rotate therewith, by a clutch collar 12 spl-ined on the shaft and adapted to have clutch engagement with the end of the sleeve, 13being al lever fulcrumed in bracket 14 and having suitable engagement with a peripheral groove 15 in the clutch collar.

The downward movement of the rubber is cushioned by spiral springs 16 coiled about rods: 2 and resting onthe lower arms e.

Operation: Having arranged the fabric as specified, pulley w iscaused to rotatel and clutch colla-r 12 being in engagement with sleevey m the rubber will be reciprocated while the, fabric isbeing advanced by being wound up: onf the beam the part ofthe fabric between rollers f and 71, being in a suitable on opposite sides'V of the stretched .through again for ins section without rubbing by manipulating the lever 13 so that the connection between sleeve x and shaft 10 is disestablished and hence the rubber is L 'no longer reciprocated.

Since the blades on each side of the fabric are used in place of a cushion Yor the like to support the fabric against the pressure of the blades on the other side of the fabric the blades may have straightV actingedges and each may extend the full width ofthe fabric. rlihus, the streaking of the fabric which attends the use of convex-edged blades is avoided. f Shiers, or irregularities in spacing of the weft threads, and barre marks, or irregularities of spacing of the warp threads, are `removed by the rubbing blades of the present inventionbecause the blades work the fabric, maintaining the bends they form therein asrunning bends as they reciprocate, and so cause the weft and warp threads to find' their proper or regular spacing, while they also loosen up the fibres and thus remove marks that are the effect of smoothing pressure having been applied in the weaving to some threads more than to others. Y

Then the rubber moves down its movement is resisted by the springs and in this wa 1 the reciprocating motion is rendered smooth and substantially free 'from vibration and ar. Y

lin order to subject the fabric to theproper tension the rotation of the beam e may be resisted in any suitable way, as bythe band 17 attached at one end to one of the uprights and having its other end attached to a lever 18 fulcrumed in the upright and carrying anadjustable weight 19.

Having Vthus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'. is Y 1. t fabric. rubbing machine including means for` folding the fabric stretched and, a movable rubber confined to move in substantial parallelism with the plane of the stretched part of thefabric, the rubberhaving rubbing blades extending crosswise of the path of movement of the rubber and projecting toward and arranged on opposite sides of the stretched part of the kfabric with each blade on one side out of registry with each blade on the other side and coacting therewith to ymaintain abend in said part of the fabric..

2. A fabric rubbing machine including means for holding the fabric stretched, a rubber, and means to reciprocate the rubber in substantial parallelism with the plane of the stretched part of the fabric, the rubber having rubbing blades extending crosswise of the path of movement of the rubber and projecting toward and arranged on opposite sides of the stretched part of the fabric with each blade on one side out of registry with each blade on the other side and 4coacting therewith to maintain a bend in said part of the fabric.

3. A fabric rubbing machine includin means for holding the fabric stretched an advancing the same and a rubber having rubbing blades extending crosswise of the path of advance of the fabric and projecting toward and arranged on opposite sides of the stretched part of the fabric with each blade on one side out of registry with each blade on the other side and coacting therewith to maintain a bend in said part of the fabric.

4. A fabric rubbing machine including means for holding the fabric stretched and' advancing the same, a rubber, and means to reciprocate the rubber in substantial parallelism With the plane of the stretched part and longitudinally of the advance of the fabric, the rubber having rubbing blades extending crosswise of said path and projecting toward and' arranged on opposite sides of the stretched part of the fabric with each blade on one side out of registry with each blade on the other side and coacting therewith to maintain a bend in said part of the fabric.

5. A fabric rubbing machine includin means for holding the fabric stretched an in an upright plane, a rubber movable up and down 'in engagement with the fabric, spring means to cushion each downward movement of the rubber, and means to intermittently elevate the rubber.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

WILLIAM' H. WHITEHEAD. THOMAS WfKENYON. 

